More than 40 years after her death the extraordinary voice of Maria Callas La Divina Assoluta still remains unsurpassed It has the power to divide critics some finding it monstrous others transcendent Artists like Patti Smith Linda Ronstadt and Nina Simone have cited Callas as a major influence and inspiration She remains one of the most important female voices of the 20th century Much has been written about Callas s sensational opera career and fraught private life from her clashes with other artists affair with billionaire playboy Aristotle Onassis to her tragic death in 1977 And yet the fascination with Callas s biography tends to overshadow her most seemingly superhuman qualities her astounding voice and masterful technique Callas often spoke of her voice as if it were something external independent of her with its own will failings and desires Nevertheless she was a diva with iron discipline taming her voice to forge roles that have become legendary Using one of Callas s first recital recordings from 1954 as a foundation this book envisions each song each aria as a lens to examine phenomena as diverse as the operatic screaming point feminism and the voice and music and violence